Need help making decisions...

DisneyCrazyMomma

Great! Now I have guilt!!!
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
565
So, for us, our must do's are:

Chef Mickey's (Characters/Atmosphere)
'Ohana (FOOD!)
Tusker House Breakfast (Food and Atmosphere)

We are wanting to try some new things... what are your recommendations. We are considering (and have never done)

Raglan Road - lunch
'Ohana Breakfast (DS LOVES Pluto)
Coral Reef - dinner
Garden Grill - dinner
1900 Park Fare - ?

Others? :goodvibes
 
I don't think I'll be much help... we have really only eaten at Artist Point, that I can think of. Here are the ADRs we have made...

lunch at Teppan Edo on our first day at the parks, dinner at Artist Point without DS, dinner at O'hana to end our resort-hopping day and breakfast at Chef Mickey's the morning we leave. We'll eat in our room (off property), in an off-property restaurant or quick service the rest of the time.
 
So, for us, our must do's are:

Chef Mickey's (Characters/Atmosphere)
'Ohana (FOOD!)
Tusker House Breakfast (Food and Atmosphere)

We are wanting to try some new things... what are your recommendations. We are considering (and have never done)

Raglan Road - lunch
'Ohana Breakfast (DS LOVES Pluto)
Coral Reef - dinner
Garden Grill - dinner
1900 Park Fare - ?

Others? :goodvibes

We love Cape May for breakfast or dinner-only the breakfast had characters-minnie,goofy and donald in beach attire. Its really laid back they put paper on the tables so kids can draw. And the food is good.
The dinner has great food but no characters!! :thumbsup2

1900 Park Fare- Breakfast has great food and usually Alice, Mary Poppins, Mad hatter. My son loved Alice when we went and he was 8-I think it was his first crush ;)

Dinner @ 1900 PF-I thought the food was ok but the characters were so much fun probably my favorite character interaction just wish the food was a little better.

Ohana-didn't love the bfast but I don't like eggs so there wasn't a lot for me to eat.

Coral Reef-again I'm kind of a picky eater so I found the menu lacking.

Do you like Tusker House Breakfast? I would like to try it on our next trip-my DS (16) always insists on Crystal Palace for breakfast. When he was little we went for Tigger but now he just loves the food there. :) Trying to convince him to give Tusker House a try.
 
Hey there Disney Momma ... how's life treatin' ya!

Let's see ...

Raglan Road - My family and I have yet to make it to this restaurant but I have 3 personal (IRL) friends that have gone and they have raved about the food! We have been wanting to try it but it just hasn't fallen into place yet.

Ohana (B) - We really were not thrilled with this which we found strange because Ohana for dinner is our hands down favorite meal on vacation! We found the service to be sub-par and the food wasn't even that great. PLEASE keep in mind that what we encountered could have been a one time thing and there are others on the boards who LOVE it but it just left us with a sour taste in our mouth (No pun intended) and we just have ever returned. I'd say to at least try it ... besides you're also doing it for your son so he can get some face time in with Pluto! :cutie:

Coral Grill - Now, we did Coral Reef many years ago so I cannot be exactly sure how much has changed. The atmosphere there is great! Low light, nice and cool, and you get to sit and watch all the fish swim by in the aquarium that dominates you view inside. Obviously, you must love seafood ... ... we wanted to try it and even though none of us are big seafood eaters we figured there would be some NON-seafood items on the menu ... which there were but a very limited number. We have nothing really bad to say about Coral Reef ... we just aren't big on seafood ... but it was a nice experience! :3dglasses

Garden Grill - This was one of those restaurants for us where you just expected more, you know what I mean? In MY opinion it is a very expensive burger-type joint with very little in the way of atmosphere to back it up. It IS a character meal which is why you pay so much but I still don't think it's worth it. :confused3

1900 Park Fare - This used to be one of our favorite places to eat ... meal didn't matter ... but we've noticed it slipping over the years. The buffet and selection there-in isn't as big as it used to be, the room seems tired and needs a re-do, and it seems like the server to table ratio needs to be adjusted ... always feels like forever just to get a soda re-fill or something. Last year was the final straw for us ... because of how the Disney Dining Plan mucked up the reservations for NON-DDP-ers we now make our reservations as soon as the 180 day mark hits. We got there, checked in, and after waiting 1/2 hour past our reservation we were led to VERY back of the restaurant and into what looked like a small hallway in the back! You could see an emergency exit door, a cast member entrance, and stacked against the wall were all the booster seats and high chairs! We were so far removed from the main dining room you could not see or hear anything going on in there and we ended up walking out on our reservation. :headache:


PLEASE understand that what happened to my family and I in any of the restaurants could have been one time things or just bad luck ... I just wanted you to have both sides of the story ... you know what I mean? If there is something that you and your family REALLY want to try or do then you need to do it! There will ALWAYS be two sides to everything and you will never get 100% consensus on any given place but if you start second guessing yourself based on somebody's review, then you go and change it, you may end up regretting it and regrets are souvenirs nobody wants to bring home! :guilty:

I'm not sure of your likes/dislikes and your Disney resume (What you have and have not all ready done) I offer the following suggestions! :thumbsup2

Crystal Palace @ M.K. (B) Pooh Bear and Friends
Akershus @ EPCOT (B) Princess Meet & Greet
Sci-Fi Dine-In @ Disney Studios (L or D) GREAT ATMOSPHERE!
RainForest Cafe or T-Rex @ DownTown Disney (L or D) ATMOSPHERE!
Cape May Cafe @ Beach Club (B) Goofy & Friends

Those are my suggestions ... not sure if you have all ready done them or not. If you need more information on any of them or have any question PLEASE feel free to ask!!!

Take Care & Be Safe!!!

Frank
Disney DieHard
 

We love Cape May for breakfast or dinner-only the breakfast had characters-minnie,goofy and donald in beach attire. Its really laid back they put paper on the tables so kids can draw. And the food is good.
The dinner has great food but no characters!! :thumbsup2

1900 Park Fare- Breakfast has great food and usually Alice, Mary Poppins, Mad hatter. My son loved Alice when we went and he was 8-I think it was his first crush ;)

Dinner @ 1900 PF-I thought the food was ok but the characters were so much fun probably my favorite character interaction just wish the food was a little better.

Ohana-didn't love the bfast but I don't like eggs so there wasn't a lot for me to eat.

Coral Reef-again I'm kind of a picky eater so I found the menu lacking.

Do you like Tusker House Breakfast? I would like to try it on our next trip-my DS (16) always insists on Crystal Palace for breakfast. When he was little we went for Tigger but now he just loves the food there. :) Trying to convince him to give Tusker House a try.

Thanks! We are a family of picky eaters, so I can relate! :rotfl2: Yes, Tusker House breakfast is wonderful! We love the food. It has American stuff as well as kind of some stuff with an African flare... but nothing crazy, we liked almost all of it. There are lots of danish and donuts and fruit, etc aside from your eggs, meats, casseroles.... so lots of variety. Hands down, the best thing there is the Jamba Juice. Oh wow!! DS (6) drank FOUR huge glasses. SO YUMMY!
 
Thanks! We are a family of picky eaters, so I can relate! :rotfl2: Yes, Tusker House breakfast is wonderful! We love the food. It has American stuff as well as kind of some stuff with an African flare... but nothing crazy, we liked almost all of it. There are lots of danish and donuts and fruit, etc aside from your eggs, meats, casseroles.... so lots of variety. Hands down, the best thing there is the Jamba Juice. Oh wow!! DS (6) drank FOUR huge glasses. SO YUMMY!

Thanks for the info :)....I've heard good things about the Jamba Juice!! Can't wait to try it!! There's not alot of places in AK we love so I think we'll give it a shot.
 
Hey there Disney Momma ... how's life treatin' ya!

Let's see ...

Raglan Road - My family and I have yet to make it to this restaurant but I have 3 personal (IRL) friends that have gone and they have raved about the food! We have been wanting to try it but it just hasn't fallen into place yet.

Ohana (B) - We really were not thrilled with this which we found strange because Ohana for dinner is our hands down favorite meal on vacation! We found the service to be sub-par and the food wasn't even that great. PLEASE keep in mind that what we encountered could have been a one time thing and there are others on the boards who LOVE it but it just left us with a sour taste in our mouth (No pun intended) and we just have ever returned. I'd say to at least try it ... besides you're also doing it for your son so he can get some face time in with Pluto! :cutie:

Coral Grill - Now, we did Coral Reef many years ago so I cannot be exactly sure how much has changed. The atmosphere there is great! Low light, nice and cool, and you get to sit and watch all the fish swim by in the aquarium that dominates you view inside. Obviously, you must love seafood ... ... we wanted to try it and even though none of us are big seafood eaters we figured there would be some NON-seafood items on the menu ... which there were but a very limited number. We have nothing really bad to say about Coral Reef ... we just aren't big on seafood ... but it was a nice experience! :3dglasses

Garden Grill - This was one of those restaurants for us where you just expected more, you know what I mean? In MY opinion it is a very expensive burger-type joint with very little in the way of atmosphere to back it up. It IS a character meal which is why you pay so much but I still don't think it's worth it. :confused3

1900 Park Fare - This used to be one of our favorite places to eat ... meal didn't matter ... but we've noticed it slipping over the years. The buffet and selection there-in isn't as big as it used to be, the room seems tired and needs a re-do, and it seems like the server to table ratio needs to be adjusted ... always feels like forever just to get a soda re-fill or something. Last year was the final straw for us ... because of how the Disney Dining Plan mucked up the reservations for NON-DDP-ers we now make our reservations as soon as the 180 day mark hits. We got there, checked in, and after waiting 1/2 hour past our reservation we were led to VERY back of the restaurant and into what looked like a small hallway in the back! You could see an emergency exit door, a cast member entrance, and stacked against the wall were all the booster seats and high chairs! We were so far removed from the main dining room you could not see or hear anything going on in there and we ended up walking out on our reservation. :headache:


PLEASE understand that what happened to my family and I in any of the restaurants could have been one time things or just bad luck ... I just wanted you to have both sides of the story ... you know what I mean? If there is something that you and your family REALLY want to try or do then you need to do it! There will ALWAYS be two sides to everything and you will never get 100% consensus on any given place but if you start second guessing yourself based on somebody's review, then you go and change it, you may end up regretting it and regrets are souvenirs nobody wants to bring home! :guilty:

I'm not sure of your likes/dislikes and your Disney resume (What you have and have not all ready done) I offer the following suggestions! :thumbsup2

Crystal Palace @ M.K. (B) Pooh Bear and Friends Ate here for dinner for the first time in Dec 2010 and loved it. The characters were fun and the food was really really good! Def. on our want list, but also wanting to try new things, so not sure how this one will end up. But yes, great choice!
Akershus @ EPCOT (B) Princess Meet & Greet We have done the princess breakfast twice. Very nice! Another great recommendation!
Sci-Fi Dine-In @ Disney Studios (L or D) GREAT ATMOSPHERE!We did a dessert/appetizer thing here.. VERY fun!
RainForest Cafe or T-Rex @ DownTown Disney (L or D) ATMOSPHERE! We have talked about eating at T-Rex. We did the build a dino on our first trip but didn't eat. How's the food?
Cape May Cafe @ Beach Club (B) Goofy & Friends Definitely will be looking into this one!

Those are my suggestions ... not sure if you have all ready done them or not. If you need more information on any of them or have any question PLEASE feel free to ask!!!

Take Care & Be Safe!!!

Frank
Disney DieHard

Very nice response! Thank you! Seems like we have some similiar tastes based on your recommendations... or we just know what's good! :rotfl: I appreciate all your input and recommendations. I think we just need to stay for a month and eat everywhere! :)
 
Thanks for the info :)....I've heard good things about the Jamba Juice!! Can't wait to try it!! There's not alot of places in AK we love so I think we'll give it a shot.

This is the only place we've eaten in AK. Haha! We tried it our first trip to get the character experience and the "american" breakfast... haha like I said, picky. We loved it so much it became a must do! Hope you LOVE the juice! Mmmm... nummy! :goodvibes
 
Cape May Cafe @ Beach Club (B) Goofy & Friends

Those are my suggestions ... not sure if you have all ready done them or not. If you need more information on any of them or have any question PLEASE feel free to ask!!!

Take Care & Be Safe!!!

Frank
Disney DieHard

I just booked a breakfast here. After looking at it, it looks and sounds yummy and fun. Plus, I've never seen the Beach Club, and I've wanted to. Yay!
 
This is the only place we've eaten in AK. Haha! We tried it our first trip to get the character experience and the "american" breakfast... haha like I said, picky. We loved it so much it became a must do! Hope you LOVE the juice! Mmmm... nummy! :goodvibes

You're not missing much in AK!! Haven't tried Boma but the menu doesn't appeal to me...again with the Picky...hahaha!!

I've decided to try at least 2 or 3 new places next time we go:

Tusker House bfast-definite-have the ressie
Les Chefs de France-maybe
Kona for bfast-definite-liked it for dinner
Grand Floridian Cafe-maybe

Hope you like Cape May for Bfast-One of our favs!!:thumbsup2 I like your idea of staying for a month and trying everything. Now if I could just win the lottery........
 
Hey there again DisneyCrazyMomma!

It's nice to meet another kindred Disney soul! You're right ... seems like we both have really good taste in Disney dining!!! ;)

T-Rex and RainForest Cafe are basically the same place except one has Dinosaurs and the other has Elephants and Gorillas. The food is yummy and I think the portions are very nice and fit the price. But being a Disney person, like I think you are, you know that at almost any place on property it's about the atmosphere as well as the food. I think that T-Rex and RainForest certainly have enough atmosphere to justify the price you are paying. I wrote in a previous post that you have different rooms like the Ice Cave and the Meteor/Volcano Room just to name a few.

Just a fun side note: The whole Ice Cave Room changes color ... it won't make you sick (At least it didn't for my family and I) but it may make your eyes go buggy every now and then ... and I'm thinking it would be a little trippy if you had one or two adult beverages. :laughing::thumbsup2:3dglasses:lmao:

Cape May Cafe is essentially a much toned down version of Crystal Palace ... in a good way! One noticeable difference is that unlike Crystal Palace there is no chef making custom pancakes and omelets. The biggest difference we noticed between the two is the volume level which is WAY WAY lower than Crystal Palace! I think you will enjoy it should you decide to go!

Any other questions or comments ... PLEASE don't hesitate to ask!!!

Take Care & Be Safe!

Frank
Disney DieHard
 
Didn't get a chance to read the whole thread so i apologize if I'm repeating points! I think Tusker House and CM's are very similar - same characters, same type of buffet food. Just something to consider.

Out of your list, I probably wouldn't do Coral Reef or Garden Grill. Neither menu appeals to me much and they have both gotten bad reviews lately. Coral Reef is not good for the picky eater (ME!) even though the atmosphere is cool. The concept of Garden Grill is cool but the family style thing and what's served doesn't appeal to me either. And I've read it's been insanely hard to get an ADR at GG lately.

I probably wouldn't do Ohana twice, even if it is different meals. There's just so many others to choose from! We are doing Ohana breakfast because it appeals to us more than the dinner does. Raglan Road is one I have also wanted to try, and 1900 PF we originally had as an ADR but had to scrap it due to a change in plans.
 
And I've read it's been insanely hard to get an ADR at GG lately.

I haven't been able to get one yet. I did see an 8:45 one night but that's too late for dinner for us. Plus we want to be done eating dinner in time to see Illuminations the night we are in Epcot.

Why is it so hard now? I haven't ever heard that many good reviews of it, so I'm surprised. :confused3

I switched the 'Ohana breakfast for Cape May Cafe breakfast. We LOVED the dinner food at 'Ohana so I can't miss that! :D
 
Hello once again DisneyCrazyMomma!

I've said it in other posts but I will say it again because it bears repeating!

But first ... if I'm reading your countdown timer correctly you will be going for the Christmas Holiday Season which has a generous uptick in attendance. Everyone wants to see all the decorations! ;)

Second, it is a character meal which always increases the value of any restaurant for families with younger children.

Finally, to my original point! I've noticed a DRAMATIC increase in dining reservation difficulty ever sine the Disney Dining Plan came into being! Prior to that happening my family and I wouldn't make any ADRs! We'd schedule some things when we arrived and then basically planned day-by-day. Once DDP came in we couldn't get anything ... and we even happened to be staying in Polynesian Concierge at the time so the thought that because you are Club Level it gives you some kind of priority is busted for us too!

Ever since the Disney Dining Plan and that particular vacation we count 180 days back from our vacation and call first thing that day! We take no chances anymore!

Some people ask why D.D.P. would have such a dramatic effect on reservations and it's because you have a whole group of people who, prior to the plan, wouldn't have considered doing something like Ohana or Garden Grill due to the higher price but now they have credits to use for those same restaurants.

I don't care what anyone else says ... nobody will ever be able to convince me otherwise! There's too much evidence for it to be random ... It's not just a coincidence. :cool2:

Anyway, hope I helped answer your question!!! :surfweb:

Take Care & Be Safe!!

Frank
Disney DieHard
 
Dinner @ 1900 PF-I thought the food was ok but the characters were so much fun probably my favorite character interaction just wish the food was a little better. >>>>I agree. 1900 PF dinner was actually HUGELY disappointing in my book. I couldnt believe the selection. Just awful. And im not very picky!! The character interaction was AMAZING thou. Stepsisters are sooooo funny.

Ohana breakfast is one of my faves. LOVE the food! (esp the bread & juice!). I also love the atmosphere, and the fact that its a SIT DOWN all you can eat. Characters are wonderful!!!

Crystal Palace @ M.K. (B) Pooh Bear and Friends >>LOVE this place!
Sci-Fi Dine-In @ Disney Studios (L or D) GREAT ATMOSPHERE! >>one of my must-do's! Love the atmosphere!!!! SO MUCH FUN! Great food too. Love their ribs!

Teppan Edo is AMAZING! By far my fave place in disney. However, if you've been to many hibachi places in your hometown, then maybe this wont excite you very much. But i've never been, disney was my first. Boy was the food fantastic. so yummy. :cloud9: My son loves it too. Also, TRex in DTD is another good one for atmosphere (better than Rainforest....plus, you can get a rainforest cafe anywhere in the world. TRex is a bit more unique). Food is similar at both (same owners). Only drawback is that its NOT on the dining plan.
 
Hello once again DisneyCrazyMomma!

I've said it in other posts but I will say it again because it bears repeating!

But first ... if I'm reading your countdown timer correctly you will be going for the Christmas Holiday Season which has a generous uptick in attendance. Everyone wants to see all the decorations! ;)

Second, it is a character meal which always increases the value of any restaurant for families with younger children.

Finally, to my original point! I've noticed a DRAMATIC increase in dining reservation difficulty ever sine the Disney Dining Plan came into being! Prior to that happening my family and I wouldn't make any ADRs! We'd schedule some things when we arrived and then basically planned day-by-day. Once DDP came in we couldn't get anything ... and we even happened to be staying in Polynesian Concierge at the time so the thought that because you are Club Level it gives you some kind of priority is busted for us too!

Ever since the Disney Dining Plan and that particular vacation we count 180 days back from our vacation and call first thing that day! We take no chances anymore!

Some people ask why D.D.P. would have such a dramatic effect on reservations and it's because you have a whole group of people who, prior to the plan, wouldn't have considered doing something like Ohana or Garden Grill due to the higher price but now they have credits to use for those same restaurants.

I don't care what anyone else says ... nobody will ever be able to convince me otherwise! There's too much evidence for it to be random ... It's not just a coincidence. :cool2:

Anyway, hope I helped answer your question!!! :surfweb:

Take Care & Be Safe!!

Frank
Disney DieHard

Well yes, early December. :santa: I just mean why it so much harder to get this year vs. last. We didn't eat there last year but easily could have about any time we wanted to. I agree with you on the DDP. However, both times we have been the DDP was in existence.... and before that when I went was in college several years ago! :)
 
I like the food and atmosphere at Garden Grill.
The 1900 Park Fair characters are the most entertaining to me.

I really like the food at Boma for dinner.
 


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